The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-06-04
LADY LucY's PETITION.
chambers Jonrnal.l

With Amy Gradwell, her nurse, drove under
he gateway. She trembled and hid her face
n Amy's cloak, when they alighted, and /
she saw the soldiers on guard, and the senti-
1els with their crossed partisans before the
portals of that part of the fortress where the |
prisoners of state were confined, and where
her own father, Lord Preston, of whom she |
was come to take her last farewell, was then
confined under sentence of death.
"Yes, my dear child" returned Amy sor-
rowfully, my lord your father is indeed |
within these sad walls. You are now going |
20 visit him: shall you be afraid of entering |
this place, my dear9"
NO." replied Lady Lucy resolutely; 81
am not afraid of going to any place where
my dear papa ISL
Yet she chung closer to the arms of her at
tendant as they were admitted into the
gloomy precincts of the buildings, and her
little heart fiuttered fearfully as she glanced
around her, and she whispered to the nurse,
"Was it not here that the two young princes,
Edward " and his brother Richard, Duke
OF York. were murdered by their cruel uncle,
Richard Duke of Gloucester"
eyes, my love, it was; but do not be
al armed on that account, for no one will
harm you," said old Amy in an encouraging
tone.
And was not good King Henry vi. muir
dered here also by that same wicked Rich
ardp" continued the little girl, whose imagi-
nation was full of the records of the deeds
of blood that had been perpetrated in this
fatally celebrated place, many of which had
been related to her by Bridget Holdworth,
the housekeeper, since her father had been
imprisoned In the Tower on charge of high
treason.
"But do you think they will murder papa,
hur$e?" pursued the child. as they began to
ascend the stairs leading to the apartment in
which the unfortunate nobleman was con-
fined.
"Hush-hush! dear child, You must not
talk of these things here, said Amy, "or
they will shut us both up in a room with
bolts and bars, instead of admitting us to see
my lord. your father"
Lady Lucy pressed close to her nurses
side and was silent till they were ushered
into the room where the father was confined,
when, forgetting everything else in her JOY
at seeing him again, she sprang into his
arms, and almost stifed him with her kisses
Lord Preston was greatly affected at the
sight Of his little daughter, and overcome by
her passionate demonstrations of fondness,
his own anguish at the thought of his APP
preaching separation from her, and the idea
of leaving her an orphan at her tender age,
for she had only just completed her 9th year,
and had lost her mother, he clasped her to
his bosom and believed her innocent face
with his tears.
"Why do you cry, dear papa?" asked the
innocent child, who was herself weeping at
the sight of his distress. "And why will you
not leave this gloomy place. and e"r'e nome
TO your own hall again 2"~'
ATTEND to me, Lucy, and l will tell you
the cause of my grief,' SAID her father, seat
ing the little girl on his knee. II shall never
come home again, for Ihave been condemned
to die for high treason, which means an Of
Tense against the king, and shall NOT leave
this place till they brinc -.ic Iorth on rover
hill where tlsy 1iII cut off my head with a
.h.r,...1>e and set it up afterwards over Tenn
pie Bar or London Bridge"
At this terrible intelligence Lady Lucy
screamed aloud. and hid her face in her fa-
spoA OSooAAs VObehS Az Niuh bColo'
BE composed, my dear child" said Lord
Preston, 'for have much to say to you and
we may never meet again on this side the
grave"
mo, no, dear papa" cried she; "they shall
not kill you, for Twill cling SO fast about
your neck, that they shall not be able to cut
your head off; and will tell them all how
good and kind you are, and then they will
not want to kill YOU"
sMy dearest loxes this is all simple halls i
against the law as it is at present established.
by trying to have my old master King
James. restored to the throne, and therefore
must die. Do not you remember, Lucy. /
took you once to Whitehall to see King
James, and how kindly he spoke to you?"
"Oh, yes, papa, and l recollect he laid his
hand upon my head and said l was like
what his daughter, the Princess of Orange.
was at my age" replied Lady Lucy with
great animation.
well, my child, very shortly after YOU
saw King James at Whitehall, the Prince of
Orange, who married his daughter, came
over to England, land drove King James out
OF his palace and kingdom, and the people
made him and the Princess of Orange king
and queen in his stead"
WAS 1t not very wicked of the Princess of
Orange to join with her husband to take her
fathers kingdom from him? / am very sor-
ry King James thought me like her," said
Lady Lucy earnestly.
"Hush-hushl my love; you must not talk
so Of the Princess of Orange, for perhaps
she considered she was doing right in depriy-
ing her father of his dominions, because he
had embraced the Catholic religion, and it is
against the law:for a king of England to be
a Catholic. Yet confess did. not believe
she would have consented to Sign the death
warrant of so many of her fathers old SER
wants, only on account of their faithful at
tachment to him." said Lord Preston with a
sigh.
have heard that the Princess of Orange
Is of merciful disposition. said old Amy
Gradwell, advancing towards her master;
"and perhaps she might be induced to spare
your life, my lord, if your pardon were very
earnestly entreated of her by some of your
friends"
Alas! my good Amy, / have no one who
will undertake the perilous office of solicit
Ing the royal grace for an attainted traitor.
lest they should be suspected of favoring the
cause Of King James,"
Dear papa! let me go to the queen and
beg for your pardon" cried Lady Lucy
with crimsoned cheek and a sparkling eve.
l will SO beg and pray her to spare your life.
dear papa, that she will not have the heart
to deny me-"
Simple childp' exclaimed her father
what would you be able to say to the
queen that would be of any availP"
God would teach me what to say, and he
has power also to touch her heart with pity
for child's distress, and to open her ear to
my earnest petition
Her father clasped her to his bosom. but
said, "Thou would'st be afraid of speaking
to the queen. even if thou shouldst be ad-
mitted to her presence, my child"
why should be afraid of speaking TO
the queen, papa ?-for even If she should be
angry with me, and answer harshly, l should
be thinking too much of you, father, to mind
=; or II she were to send me to the Tower.
and cut off my head, she could only kill nv |
body, but would have no power at all to hurt |
ny soul, which is under the protection of |
'ne who is greater than any king or queen |
lpon earth"
You are right, my child, to fear God, and |
% have no other fear" said her fathar oI+